Ride Day Seven: Wick to Golspie

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Started: 13 Jun 2010 09:57:51
Ride Time: 5:13:39
Stopped Time: 52:45
Distance: 53.23 miles
Average: 10.18 miles/hr
Fastest Speed: 38.46 miles/hr
Climb: 1972 feet

View the days photos on flickr.
It seemed a gentler day’s ride to begin with, hardly any wind and the gradient not too severe. But that all changed when we got to Berriedale, a steep drop down, with some very battered looking barricades where a local coach only just avoided dropping 15 metres into the river the week before! Then it was a long steep climb back out, pushing legs and lungs to the limit, I just managed to keep the pedals turning all the way to the top.
Today’s riding has been punctuated by classic cars heading up to a show at John O Groats, and merry hellos from the many other cyclists we saw heading up to finish the LEJOG. We even saw a few walkers, who will have been walking for two or three months!
After that tough climb we enjoyed a long descent into Helmsdale, from then on the hills flattened out, in fact for a while we were following the rail tracks. But our legs were tired from the big climb and even the gentler inclines pulled us back.
As we cycled into Golspie we had a great view of Dunrobin Castle an almost fairy tale looking building which reminded me of Cair Paraval from the Narnia Books.
Stopping the night at the Stags head, our bikes are going to boogie the night away, they’ve been put in the dance hall!
BBC’s weather forecast seemed to slightly overstate things again, we had a couple of light showers but certainly not the heavy rain forecast, much to our relief.
Just one more day of riding ahead, over what should be fairly gentle terrain, to finish at the Old Station Cafe in Strathpeffer, where hopefully Ruth and my Mum will be waiting with the car to take us back to Gairloch.